American Legion: Twice they helped me with veterans' concerns

Like so many others, I owe a great deal to the American Legion and their dedication of service to veterans and our families.The American Legion got the ball rolling for C-123 veterans and our Agent Orange concerns. In 2012 Dr. Jeanie Stellman and I visited the Legion's DC offices for a meeting with their national leadership. We briefed them on Stellman's research and Air Force materials that established our Agent Orange exposures, and asked the Legion to get behind us with the power of their nearly one million members.

They said yes, and for us to return the next day with a draft resolution to be voted on at their next national convention. Stellman and I wrote it that night on her MacBook Air (my computer was stolen that morning!) the Legion executives accepted it the next morning. Our resolution was eventually approved as Resolution 128 at the 2012 national convention.

The Legion also led in January 2015 after the Institute of Medicine determined we'd been exposed to Agent Orange aboard our aircraft. Along with the rest of the "Big Six" veterans organizations they insisted that VA Secretary Bob McDonald act on the IOM findings, which he finally did on June 19 2015. The Legion also got a bipartisan group of US senators and congressmen to demand Secretary McDonald act, and they withheld all confirmations until VA yielded. 2100 C-123 aircrews and maintainers, and their survivors, got VA Agent Orange benefits that day, with much thanks due the American Legion.

Over the next few years, a number of articles about C-123 veterans appeared in Legion publications. I've gathered them along with Resolution 128 for your review.

In May I asked our local post to initiate a Colorado resolution supporting Gold Star Wives property tax exemption, and it was approved by the entire state organization on June 28. Lesson for me: resolutions are the Legion's slow but steady march towards better veterans benefits.

And again...thanks Legion!